The ageing agricultural labor force in most of GMS countries is causing significant obstacles for the development of agro production activities, not only in productivity but also in innovation. Developing or applying knowledge-based and innovative aspects such as climate smart agriculture, digitalization, block chain technologies and other innovations is crucial for the sector to become more sustainable and competitive. Youth in the region is the generation to continue to work in this essential field, and they play a pivotal role in transforming agri-food systems.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB), for the first time, incorporates support on youth engagement in the GMS Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security Program (SAFSP) to help GMS member countries to mitigate this challenge. Youth representatives in our Inception Workshop expressed the need to train young farmers in green technologies and entrepreneurial skills. In this TA, young people will benefit from capacity-building activities, awareness-raising activities and policy discussion. Training in agricultural entrepreneurship, leadership and financial management will be the main focus. A survey was conducted across the GMS from July to August to identify their interests and capacity needs. A competition for youth in GMS agriculture was launched in September.

This was originally posted on the GMS Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security Program Newsletter September 2021 Vol. 1 No. 1.